Lisa J. Crockett - US grants

The purpose of this research is to follow a sample of rural adolescents into their young adulthood to determine the antecedents and consequences of alcohol use as well as patterns of use over time. These issues will be examined in a sample of 657 rural youth previously studied as part of the investigators' previous longitudinal study of rural adolescent development. Funding is requested for l) secondary analysis of the rich longitudinal data set from the adolescent sample; and 2) a continuing follow-up of the same sample in young adulthood. The existing data set includes seven years of annual survey data covering the period from junior high school into the post high school period. Additional funding will make it possible to track and follow up all of the original subjects using a procedure that has been effective in a pilot tracking attempt. Subjects will be surveyed using telephone interviews and a packet of written measures to be completed and returned by mail. The combined adolescent and young adult data will be used: (1) to identify normative developmental patterns of alcohol use from early adolescence into young adulthood in a rural sample, with attention to differences between males and females; (2) to examine continuity and discontinuity in alcohol use from adolescence to young adulthood; (3) to predict young adulthood alcohol use and abuse; and (4) to examine the consequences of adolescent alcohol use for role functioning, health, and adjustment in young adulthood. Prediction of young adult alcohol abuse will be based on a comprehensive risk model while prediction of young adult consequences of adolescent alcohol use will be based on the "precocious development" theory of Newcomb and Bentler (1988). Throughout a "risk and resilience" approach will be utilized. Attention will be given to gender differences in the consequences of adolescent alcohol use and to the examination of non-linear as well as linear association between adolescent alcohol use and young adult functioning.

Abstract

Planning a Center for the Study of Children's Development in Relationships

Julia Torquati, Lisa Crockett, Carolyn Edwards, Marcela Raffaelli, and
Ross Thompson

Relationships are critical to intellectual, emotional, social, and physical growth in childhood. Relationships with parents, grandparents, siblings, peers, teachers, caregivers in day care and preschool, and others contribute to the development of skills, respond to the child's individuality, facilitate new learning and growth, and provide sources of security and support. Relationships have recently been described as the "active ingredients" of healthy development by the Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development of the National Academy of Sciences in their report, From Neurons to Neighborhoods. But although much is known about the impact of specific relationships on children's development, there are many limitations to current understanding. This project proposal requests support to enable investigators to advance the science of relationships in development by planning the creation of a Center for the Study of Children's Development in Relationships.

The overarching goal of the Center is to develop the capacity for multi-disciplinary research on children's development within relationships, from infancy through adolescence, encompassing the varieties of relationships and develop-mental processes characteristic of childhood. More specifically, researchers at the Center will develop: (a) a shared theoretical view of development and relationships to guide their work, (b) a framework for coordination among specific research activities conducted by research scientists, (c) processes for scholarly exchanges through workshops, conferences, and networking opportunities, (d) educational activities for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and visiting scientists, (e) associations with institutional and community resources concerned with children, (f) a repository for data and reports that already exist concerning development and relationships from both local and national sources, and (g) procedures for disseminating research conclusions to other scholars, communities, human service professionals, and policymakers.

The goals of the proposed planning period are to inaugurate the development of this Center by building collaborative partnerships within the University of Nebraska, and with scholars at other institutions, and to initiate specific research programs by critically examining current research on children's relationships to identify gaps in conceptualization, measurement, populations studied, or developmental stages and transitions that have been examined. During the proposed planning period, several activities will occur. These include (a) an assessment of future research needs through monthly meetings, exchanges of reviews of the literature, and consulting with an advisory board of experts, (b) building multidisciplinary collaborations within the University, and with scholars outside it, (c) developing a shared theoretical framework through collaborative interaction, and (d) preparation and submission of a Center grant proposal.

The Center for the Study of Children's Development in Relationships will also accomplish several ancillary goals. First, it will provide an infrastructure for the integration of education and research on this important topic. Second, it will broaden the representation of underrepresented groups through active recruitment of scholars, students, and research participants. Finally, the work of Center scholars will enhance knowledge of the field through independent research activities and review of the research literature.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the proposed 3-year project, data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) will be used to: (1) examine developmental patterns of psychological well-being and behavioral risk for adolescents from four ethnic/racial groups (Anglo Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans) and for subgroups of Hispanic and Asian American youth; (2) examine the equivalence of Add Health measures of parenting and adolescent psychosocial adjustment across these four ethnic/racial groups and across subgroups of Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans; (3) examine the relations between parenting practices and adolescent adjustment within and across ethnic/racial groups; (4) test an ecological model of adolescent psychosocial adjustment within and across ethnic/racial groups. In Phase 1, preliminary analyses will be conducted related to the measurement of ethnicity, parenting practices, and adolescent psychosocial adjustment; additionally, ethnic differences in parenting practices, adolescent psychological well being, and behavioral risk will be examined. In Phase 2, the equivalence of the Add Health measures of parenting and adolescent psychosocial adjustment will be examined across ethnic groups and subgroups, and ethnic/racial differences in the relations between parenting practices and adolescent adjustment will be examined. Anomalous findings will be elucidated in targeted focus groups with members of the relevant groups and subgroups. In Phase 3, structural models that relate ecological variables to parenting practices and to adolescent psychosocial adjustment will be tested within and across ethnic/racial groups and subgroups.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant) The goal of Syracuse Healthy Start (SHS) is to decrease infant mortality rates (IMR) and enhance equity in perinatal health among all racial/ethnic subgroups, where the IMR is almost three times higher for African Americans compared to white infants. In response to long-standing disparities and Healthy People 2010 objectives, SHS instituted innovative models and projects to promote public health education and stimulate change(s) that address systems issues as well as individual factors. One mechanism being used is a Speaker Series featuring individuals with national and international expertise in disparities/inequities and/or maternal and child health issues. The proposed conference in Fall 2004 is part of the Series and will feature Camara Jones, MD, PhD of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her expertise in social determinants of health includes the importance of environmental factors on health status. Factors such as the physical and social environments and their interplay on population health are prominent discussions in her work. Jones will address three audiences: professionals from a wide array of backgrounds and disciplines, a lay audience of residents from disenfranchised communities, and a small group (21 individuals) who are in positions to affect systems change. All three audiences will include men and women and will have minority representation. The specific goal of this meeting is to broaden local thinking on environmental determinants of health, and to help create a receptive climate of systems change among individuals at all levels of community. Family Ties Network (FTN), the local perinatal network, is the administrative organization of the Series.

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Pubertal development has been linked to both internalizing and externalizing problems in adolescence, including depression, aggressiveness, and delinquency. However, the reasons for this association are not well understood. Recent work on adolescent brain development suggests a possible mediating mechanism}an increase in emotionality associated with the pubertal transition. Pubertal increases in emotionality, if left unchecked by self-regulatory processes, may explain the rise in both depressive symptoms and antisocial behaviors during adolescence. Similarly, emotionality, in combination with self-regulation, has been implicated in the development of prosocial competencies. The long term goal of this research program is to elucidate the processes through which pubertal development influences adolescent behavior problems and prosocial competence. The proposed research is designed to examine these issues through secondary analysis of longitudinal data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. We will address the following specific aims: (1) To test a theoretical model linking puberty, emotionality, self-regulation, and psychosocial adjustment concurrently and longitudinally; (2) To test the proposed relations among emotionality, self-regulation and psychosocial adjustment over a more extended period of time (grades 3-6); and (3) To examine the associations between: (a) pubertal growth trajectories and trajectories of psychosocial adjustment; (b) pubertal growth trajectories and change trajectories of emotionality; and (c) change trajectories of emotionality and trajectories of psychosocial adjustment. The proposed project will make significant theoretical and empirical contributions that have important health implications. First, we propose a theoretical model that integrates theories of emotionality, self-regulation, and pubertal development. The model specifies mediating and moderating processes linking pubertal development and adjustment. Furthermore, the research will add to the sparsely investigated links between emotionality and self-regulation in adolescence and between pubertal development and prosocial competencies. Second, these issues will be examined in a relatively large longitudinal data set using multiple methods and sophisticated statistical techniques. And third, the findings are expected to further our understanding of biologically based processes and adjustment in adolescence. These findings will inform the development of more effective intervention programs and policies to enhance adolescent health. Project Narrative The proposed project will make significant theoretical and empirical contributions that have important health implications. We propose a theoretical model that integrates theories of emotionality, self-regulation, and pubertal development and will examine these links using a relatively large longitudinal data set, multiple methods, and sophisticated statistical techniques. These findings will inform the development of more effective intervention programs and policies to enhance adolescent health. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]

There has been tremendous growth in Latinos across the U.S. in the last two decades. Despite this growth, our understanding of Latino youth development is relatively limited due, in part, to traditional theories of development that emphasize the role of cognitions and parenting. However, contemporary theoretical conceptualizations acknowledge the role of different systems of children's broader social ecology such as their community and culture. Moreover, in the past, models of youth development have been applied to understanding Latino youth (and other ethnic minorities) development without adequate consideration of culture-specific mechanisms of development. Thus, despite the emergence of newer conceptualizations, models and research that integrate the role of culture and ecology are few. The proposed project will use a state-of-the-art approach that treats culture as a dynamic system, specifying intervening processes and structures that impact Latino youth learning and development. One advantage of this approach is that it acknowledges the wide within-culture group variations in behavioral outcomes. As a result, potentially valuable information about different sources of variation can be obtained for use in developing comprehensive models of Latino youth development. To begin to construct developmental theories that are sensitive to culture-specific variables and processes, research is needed that employs multidisciplinary theories and methodology. The goals of the proposed research are to: (a) document the linkages between contextual and individual variables and Latino youth development; (b) investigate the intervening sociocognitive processes that mediate these linkages; and (c) examine the impact of acculturative stress, ethnic identity, and cultural values on Latino youth development. To accomplish these goals, Mexican American youth ages 13-16 years and their mothers will be interviewed. The sample will be recruited from two distinct communities (rural and urban) in an understudied region of the U.S. (Northern Great Plains) that has experienced substantial growth in the Latino population in the last decade. The interview will include questions regarding the community context, family and peer relationships, sociocognitive skills, cultural processes (e.g., ethnic identity, acculturative stress), and positive (e.g., helping behaviors, academic outcomes) and negative (e.g., aggression, depression) developmental outcomes.

The proposed project will have broad impact across several areas. The findings will significantly contribute to the development of scientific theories that integrate culture and ecology in Latino youth development. Furthermore, the project will greatly enhance our understanding of Latino youth development with a sample of Latino families from an understudied region of the U.S. The research will refine and validate age- and ethnic-appropriate instruments to use with Latino youth and their families in future research. Moreover, the project will provide valuable scientific training and professional skill development for junior scientists and students, especially culturally-sensitive training to work with Latino families. Finally, the findings are expected to inform practitioners, program developers, and social policy makers on important conceptual issues relevant to human development in Latino youth and families. The findings will be widely disseminated to community and social service agencies, schools, in research publications, and at national and local professional conferences.

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Academic problems, antisocial behaviors, and substance use in adolescence take a heavy toll on individuals and society. Temperament traits, particularly emotionality and self-regulation, have been linked to both academic and behavioral outcomes in childhood and adolescence, but the reasons for this association are not well understood. A growing research literature indicates that children's experiences in key social contexts play a significant role. Yet, most studies of child temperament and adjustment have considered children's experiences only within a single context. While critically important, such studies do not fully capture the complexity of systems theories of development which clearly posit multiple social contexts operating simultaneously in interaction with the person to affect subsequent development and adjustment. Thus, we do not know how children's experiences across multiple contexts combine with early temperament to influence their developmental outcomes, especially in adolescence. Without such information, opportunities for prevention efforts that target critical social contexts may be missed. The overarching goal of this application is to advance knowledge of the developmental processes linking early temperament to adolescent academic problems and health risk behaviors. We will test a set of novel models of the complex interrelations between children's early temperament and their experience in multiple social contexts during childhood to determine how temperament and quality of support from family, peers, and school combine to predict levels of academic and behavioral risk in adolescence. Specifically, the project will leverage statistical advances in longitudinal data analysis in conjunction with existing high quality longitudinal data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD) to illuminate developmental pathways leading to academic problems, antisocial behavior, and substance use in adolescence. Accomplishing these goals will advance our theoretical understanding of the developmental underpinnings of these adolescent risks. The results will have important implications for prevention and intervention programs by illuminating points of entry for context-based prevention programs designed to reduce academic problems, antisocial behaviors, and substance use.